There was an argument to be had before MLS Cup had kicked off that Toronto FC had a viable case for one of the best teams in league history. Having already won the league by a 12 point margin and the Canadian Championship Cup for the second consecutive year, the Reds were the favorites to win the final trophy of the season and complete a historic treble. Though last year, it was a similar case.
In the 2016 final, Toronto hosted the match against Seattle, dominating them up and down the field, but just could not find the back of the net. Eventually the game went to penalties and Seattle managed to steal the championship away from the home side for the Sounders first ever championship.
As fate would have it, the two teams would be paired up once again in the MLS Cup Final in the same venue as one year ago. Toronto, looking for revenge and their third trophy of the season and Seattle looking to become back-to-back champions.
The match started off much like the 2016 final. Toronto came out on the front foot, pushing for an early goal to help gain momentum. Seattle’s defense held firm and Stefan Frei, the hero for Seattle last year, came up with a number of big stops through the first 45 minutes to keep the game level.
As the second half began, the pressure began to build on Toronto. Being at home and the expectations on their shoulders could have bore a heavy weight and put them right back where they were last year, but in the 67th minute, all those worries evaporated. A brilliant sequence of passes set up Giovinco in the midfield, feeding Jozy Altidore in on goal with only the keeper to beat. Altidore mustered a quick chip of the keeper Frei to finish off the sequence and send the 30,000 fans in attendance into delirium.
With that one goal cushion, Toronto was able to control the pace of the game throughout the final 23 minutes, keeping the Sounders attacking duo of Clint Dempsey and Nicolas Lodeiro relatively silent. As the game wore on, Seattle continued to push numbers forward and in the final moments of the match, the visitors were caught out on the break and Victor Vasquez finished the job and sealed TFC’s championship with a second goal in the 93rd minute.
For Toronto, the championship meant more than just a trophy. It was the culmination of 11 years of struggles, experiments and heartbreak finally peaking in one of the best, if not the best, seasons in MLS history. For Head Coach Greg Vanney, who is the 7th head coach in Toronto FC history in their 10 years of existence, it’s a journey of patience finally paying dividends for himself and his team.
